City Council speaker hopeful Melissa Mark-Viverito posted this image of herself — modeled after the iconic portrait of Che Guevara — months before Bill de Blasio was likened to the Marxist guerrilla for his love of the Nicaraguan Sandinistas.

“I take this as a compliment,” she wrote in an Instagram post that accompanied the homage to Fidel Castro’s right-hand the revolutionary.

The image was mocked up as a lark by Jorge Bendersky, a celebrity dog groomer connected with the councilwoman through Instagram and charity work.

“That was a joke,” Bendersky said. “It didn’t have any political background.”

Mark-Viverito, who posted it about five months ago, is arguably the most liberal of the members up for the speaker’s job. She had refused to recite the Pledge of Allegiance at meetings and joined in only after becoming a speaker contender.

De Blasio is backing her for the council’s top job, but the mayor-elect tweaked her Saturday for her refusal to recite the pledge.

“Obviously, I think people should stand for the pledge, but that decision is up to council members,” he said.

Council members Mark Weprin, Annabel Palma and Dan Garodnick are also being eyed for speaker.